There was a book I once read set in like 1700 America. I can’t remember much of the story but the girl comes across this weirdly shaped food brought on the ships from a far away land. She writes a letter describing the shape, the strange way to peel the fruit, the texture, the smell. It took a minute to realise she was describing a banana.
Fastforward to the 21st century. Globalisation has taught us that there are still lots of fruits and vegetables we don’t know about or are yet to taste. Rhubarb however is a familiar sight along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway on those vertical fruit stands by the road. It’s the one that kind of looks like celery but red. Not a common vegetable in most African homes, it’s considered mzungu food. But what is rhubarb? How do you use it? What does it taste like?
What is rhubarb? A vegetable. 94% water. Good source of vitamin K and some vitamin C. The leaves however are toxic. The stalks are the edible part.
How is it prepared? It’s very sour or tart so sugar is usually added. It’s good in pies, crumbles, cake, or even juice. If you add pectin it makes a delicious jam.
What does it taste like? Lemons are sour, but so is tamarind (ukwaju) and purple passionfruit; but they taste different. So sour is just one aspect. It smells floral, green, and delicate. You just have to try it for yourself. And here is one way to!
Rhubarb Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) butter
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) mala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
- 1-2 cups rhubarb
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Rhubarb
Directions
CakeMix the 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar for 3 minutes. Feels extra but it’s worth it.
Add in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla and whisk for a full minute.
In another bowl mix 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour.
To the butter mixture, whisk half the flour mixture lightly. Next add 1 cup mala. Finally the remaining flour mixture.
Cook the rhubarb for about 5 minutes with the 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons flour, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Taste and adjust to your preference.
Grease and flour a baking tin.
You could sandwich the rhubarb mixture in the middle or have it on top of the cake. So pour the cake batter into the baking tin. Spread the slightly cooked rhubarb on top (or in the middle of the batter).
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Enjoy.
- Vegetarian pilau or Mujaddara (don’t skip the onions, they are what add flavour)
- Kachumbari
Monday
Tuesday
- Ugali
- Sukuma cooked in coconut or peanut butter or
- Fermented vegetables
- Eggs
Wednesday
- Rice
- Lentils or Coconut beans
- Avocado
- Steamed broccoli or a cucumber salad
Thursday
- Butternut soup
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
Friday
Saturday
- Chapati (flat bread)
- Ndengu (lentils)
- Cabbage lightly fried in coconut oil with onions, cumin, and grated carrots
Flour tortillas for tacos
Kachumbari or pico de gallo
Guacamole
Grated cheese
Slow cooked beef or pork
- Monday
Rice
Cook a sauce for the leftover beef or pork
Steamed French/green beans or salad
- Tuesday
Githeri/Nyoyo (vegetarian chili)
Avocados and fresh ginger black tea
- Wednesday
Pasta with carrots and courgettes- While the pasta boils, fry onions and sliced carrots, and courgettes in butter. Add herbs of your choice. Toss the pasta in the vegetables and a little pasta water.
- Thursday
Fish
Ugali
Sauteed greens- Shred kale or spinach (chard). Fry diced onions and a teaspoon of cumin seeds in some oil. Cook the shredded greens until wilted. Add a dash of pepper flakes to the greens. Serve.
- Friday
Pizza
- Saturday
Leftovers or takeout
Pantry Staples
- Flour – ugali and wheat
- Oil
- Rice
- Beans
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Lemon
- Potatoes
- Eggs
- Whole cumin seeds
- Pepper flakes
Shopping List
- Dhania (Cilantro)
- Avocados
- Cheese
- Beef or pork
- French beans
- Maize
- Pasta
- Carrots
- Courgettes
- Greens: spinach, kale, managu etc.
- Fish
- Cured meats for pizza (optional)
Instead of making a puree, the pineapple is diced small. It’s important to cut out the fibrous core and only dice the flesh. Cook with sugar until deep golden/amber in colour. It’s really that simple. ?
Two pineapples didn’t make such a small jar of jam. The photos were taken much much later after eating most of it. However, notice the difference in colour of a fresh versus cooked pineapple. That’s one of the keys to knowing it’s cooked.
Recipe credits: caribbeanpot.
Pineapple Jam
Ingredients
- Pineapple cut into small pieces
- Sugar (1/4 to 1/3 the weight of the pineapple)
- Spices: whole ginger, star anise etc. (optional)
- Tiny pinch salt
- Lemon juice from half a lemon
Directions
Peel the pineapple. Cut out the fibrous core. Cut the pineapple into small pieces. Weigh the small pineapple chunks. Say for example it is 1 kg (1,000 grams), measure 250 grams of sugar.Put the pineapple and sugar in a pot (sufuria) on medium heat. Add spices to your preference. Stir to combine.
As it starts to cook, the juices from the pineapple come out and it becomes quite watery. Give it a good stir and then cover. Let it cook until it’s boiling and bubbling. Reduce heat to low and let it cook for 40 minutes to an hour. The pineapple juice and sugar combine to make a thick syrup and the pineapple pieces change colour to amber or deeply golden.
When it is done, squeeze some lemon juice. Remove the whole spices if you had added any.
Sterilize some jars.
Spoon the hot sticky jam into the clean jars.
It can stay for a few months in the fridge.
Smile.
Happiness is sharing the creation
Happiness is eating the creation
Waffles can be breakfast, served with syrup, butter, yoghurt, and/or fruits. It can be a snack like mandazi. It can be dessert, served with ice cream, chocolate syrup or berries. It can be savoury: waffles and fried chicken. Waffles are a happy meal.
Difference between pancakes and waffles
1. The obvious one is how they are made. Pancakes are made on a pan while waffles are baked in a waffle maker or iron.
2. The batters are different. Waffles have more oil, which leads to the third difference.
3. Waffles are crispy on the outside and fluffy and airy on the inside. Pancakes are perfectly fluffy and moist everywhere.
However, before plating transfer both waffles and pancakes to a wire rack. This will prevent them becoming soggy from the steam they release as they cool down.
When waffles sit for a while they become soft. Put them in the toaster to crisp them up again. This way, you can store them and have crispy waffles throughout the week.
Waffles
Ingredients
- 225g (1 1/2cups) all-purpose flour
- 60g cornflour (corn starch)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup mala (buttermilk) or yoghurt
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
In a bowl whisk the 225g flour, 60g cornflour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 3 tablespoons sugar.Make a well in the centre.
Pour in 1 cup mala, 1 cup milk, 3/4 cup oil, 2 eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Start by whisking the wet ingredients in the middle and then incorporate the dry ingredients. Whisk until combined. It’s ok if there are tiny lumps.
Heat the waffle iron (mine is ready when the light goes off).
Pour enough batter making sure it doesn’t overflow. Close and cook (light goes on and when ready light goes off).
Place on a wire rack as you prepare the toppings.
Plate up, do a happy dance, and dig in.
This cake is similar to lemon drizzle cake, but better. The major differences are:
- Lots of whisking to make it really light and fluffy
- Icing sugar as a glaze instead of regular sugar for the drizzle
Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 113g (1/2 cup) butter
- 113g (1/2 cup) margarine
- 3 lemons
- 175g (3/4 cup) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 280g (2 cups) all-purpose flour (wheat or gluten free)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons milk
Directions
Preheat the oven 160C or 350F. Grease and flour 2 sandwich tins or a loaf tin, or really whatever tin you have.
Grate the skin of 3 lemons. (Put a microplane zester on your kitchen wishlist – it makes the work easier).
In a large bowl, put the grated lemon, 113g butter, 113g margarine, and 175g sugar. Using a hand whisk mix for 5 minutes (put a timer on – it will be worth it).
Next whisk in the 3 eggs one at a time. When all the eggs are combined, whisk for 2 minutes (light cakes take work).
To the butter mixture, add the flour in two stages. First, add 140g flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and a pinch of salt to the butter mixture and whisk until combined.
Next add 6 tablespoons milk and whisk until combined.
Finally, add the remaining 140g flour. Whisk until just combined.
Pour the cake batter into the 2 sandwich tins or 1 loaf pan as equally as possible.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. Remember after about 10/15 minutes rotate the pan in the oven. The cake is ready when a knife when inserted in the centre comes out clean.
In the meantime juice the 2 lemons and add 2-3 tablespoons of icing sugar (should taste more sharp than sweet to balance the cake’s sweetness).
When the cake is ready, let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then poke the cake all over with the knife. Brush the lemon glaze over the warm cake. Leave the cake to cool completely.
For a festive cake, once cooled, sandwich with swiss meringue butter cream. Smile.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This buttercream is absolutely delicious and not too sweet. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like icing (except for ganache – which is essentially chocolate).
First things first. You will need a stand mixer. My first attempt was with my hand whisk and it was totally frustrating. The little motor heated up and so the process took forever. And the result wasn’t the same as with a powerful stand mixer.
By the way, it’s time consuming to make. Even if you use a stand mixer, it will take almost an hour. This icing is a labour of love. So either do it for someone you really love, or are getting some good money for, or you just have the time, desire, and tools to learn.
Besides the stand mixer, you need a digital scale and unsalted butter. And finally, it’s really important to separate the egg whites properly; no trace of yolk is allowed. See here on how to separate egg whites.
Basically the ratio is 1:2:3 = eggs:sugar:butter. With that ratio, you can adjust as needed.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 210g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 140g sugar
- 70g egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Tiny pinch of salt
Directions
Heat a couple inches of water in a pot. It should be a gentle simmer (not boiling).Clean the stainless steel bowl of the stand mixer thoroughly and wipe down with vinegar. Sit the bowl on the pot but it should not touch the water. This is called a double bath.
Pour the egg whites and sugar into the stainless steel bowl of the stand mixer. Stir the mixture with a whisk. The point is to get the sugar to dissolve. Dip your finger (the mixture is very warm) and rub against your thumb. If you can still feel the sugar granules, keep gently stirring. As the sugar dissolves, the mixture becomes watery. Keep going until the sugar completely dissolves (when you rub and don’t feel any granules). If you have a digital thermometer, the temperature is 60C. Remove from the heat.
Now to make the meringue. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment. Whisk to firm peaks on medium to fast speed. This could take from 10 to 15 minutes. (Random sidenote: isn’t that the most brilliant white ever?)
Let the mix cool down (around 10 to 15 minutes). It has become quite sticky.
Now, back to whisking. Add the soft but firm room temperature butter bit by bit. Whisk at medium to high speed. At some point, it will look a little strange (like it has curdled), don’t worry. Keep whisking. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a tiny pinch of salt. This takes about 10-20 minutes.
A tip from the sugargeekshow: if it still tastes like butter, keep whisking. It is ready to use when it tastes like cream and not butter.
Also, another optional step for really smooth buttercream is to switch to the paddle attachment and beat it on low for an extra 10 minutes.
What makes these burgers so good? Enriched dough. It’s a combination of brioche and Japanese milk bread. I would recommend using a digital scale to measure the ingredients. The margin of error will be less. But use volume (a.k.a teaspoon) to measure yeast, salt and sugar.
Pictorial Recipe
“Burger
Ingredients
Tangzhong20g flour
27g water
60g milk
Dough
120g milk
2 teaspoons yeast
375g flour
17g/1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
40g butter
Directions
The tangzhong Place a pan on medium-low heat. Add 20g flour, 27g water, and 60g milk and cook. First its lumpy but continue stirring with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula. Initially it is watery, and then it becomes like a paste. Cook the paste a little and then take it off the heat. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
Mixing the bread In a small bowl, heat 120g milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add to the warm milk 2 teaspoons yeast, 17g sugar. Leave the yeast to bloom.
In a large bowl mix 375g flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix. Make a well in the centre and pour the yeast-milk, 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk and the tangzhong. Mix until combined. Then add 40g butter.
Transfer to the work surface and knead for 10 minutes. When the dough doesn’t stick to the counter and looks quite smooth and elastic, transfer it to the bowl. Cover with a plate and leave to rest for 1 hour or 2. It is ready when it has doubled in size.
Transfer back to the work surface and divide the dough in seven balls. Take one piece of dough and fold and tuck and fold and tuck into a smooth ball. Do the same with all the pieces of dough until you have 7 smooth balls. Leave to rest covered by cling film for 15-30 minutes.
Add a pinch of salt to the remaining egg white and a splash of milk. Brush the buns. Sprinkle sesame seeds if you wish. Preheat the oven to 350F or 160C.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remember to rotate after 15 or so minutes. Cool on a rack. Prepare all the burger fillings. Enjoy!
I decided to do a 8 week menu series. It’s simply to get the “what to cook” ideas flowing. Hope you enjoy.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Buttermilk roast chicken | Chicken soup | Chili con carne | Chili con carne | Beans in coconut milk | Pizza | Leftovers |
| Roast potatoes or ugali | Cumin rice | Tortilla chips | Chapati | Friday night chocolate cake | ||
| Tomato, cucumber, avocado salad | Cucumber salad | Grated cheese | Stir fried cabbage and carrots | |||
| Lemon yoghurt cake | Fruit salad | Kachumbari |
Sunday
Buttermilk (mala) roast chicken
Roast vegetables: potatoes, onions, butternut, bell peppers (cooked in the pan with the chicken)
Tomato, cucumber, avocado, onion salad
Lemon yoghurt cake
Monday
Chicken soup (use the leftover chicken and roast vegetables) or tacos
Tuesday
Chili con carne, (mince meat with beans)
Cumin rice: fry cumin in oil and then add the rice
Cucumber salad
Fruit salad
Wednesday
Leftover chili con carne
Tortilla chips
Grated cheese
Kachumbari/pico de gallo
Thursday
Beans or lentils in coconut milk
Chapati ( or any flat bread)
Stir fry cabbage: Fry onions in coconut oil, with whole cumin (optional). Add grated carrots and shredded cabbage. Season with salt.
Friday
Pizza
Friday night chocolate cake
Pantry Staples
- Flour
- Oil
- Rice
- Beans
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Potatoes
- Eggs
Shopping List
- Chicken
- Minced meat or ground beef
- Mala or buttermilk
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Avocadoes
- Tortilla chips
- Coconut milk
- Cheese
- Cocoa
- Cured meats for pizza (optional)
- Whole cumin seeds
Bonus – chapati snack
What book are you currently reading?
My immediate family and my in-laws are all book lovers. My sister-in-law read 37 books last year. Everyone has their preferred genres. My husband’s is non-fiction and he has several going at the same time. My mother loves autobiographies but specifically of African women—lives that she can relate to somewhat. Her recent good read was Rebeka Njau’s autobiography. Even my 10 year old niece gobbles up a book in 4 days.
“We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves there too”
Unknown
There are several books I enjoyed last year, top on the list was one recommended by Suzie, “The Housekeeper and the Professor”. But I have also found myself reading a lot of food memoirs and food books.
Some interesting ones I read last year are “Thousand Days in Tuscany” (another Suzie recommendation), “Save me the Plums”, ” Taste of Flavour”, and “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” (not quite finished this). There are three other food memoirs currently on my phone.
Simple pleasures: cake, tea and a good book. Go ahead and bake this cake. I’d also love to hear what books you are reading …
Rum and Raisin Cake
Ingredients
- 225g (1 cup) butter
- 175g (3/4 cup) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2-3 drops of almond essence
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 350g (2 1/2 cups) flour
- 100-200g/ 1/2 – 1 cup sultanas
- 1/2 cup rum
Directions
Preheat oven to 160 or 350F. Grease and flour a loaf tin.Soak the raisins in enough rum (or juice or water) to cover them, for 15 minutes to rehydrate and become plump again.
In a large bowl, add 1 cup room temperature butter and 1 cup sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Beat in 3 eggs one at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding the next.
Add 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and a tiny pinch of salt to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
Beat in 6 Tablespoons milk and 2-3 drops of almond essence.
Next add 1 cup flour and beat until just combined.
Finally, add the raisins.
Pour the cake batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven. Halfway through the baking time (about 15 minutes), rotate the tin in the oven since the back of the oven is usually hotter than the front. It is ready when a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Let the cake cook for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes—while the cake is still in the tin—poke several holes (around 15) throughout cake using a butter knife or toothpick. Pour the rum that wasn’t absorbed by the raisins (or 1/4 cup rum) over the top of the cake. Let the cake cool completely. Remove from the tin and serve.
But brioches and ganaches aside, it is nice to have a few “healthy” cake recipes in one’s repertoire. This mug cake is genuinely healthy. Oats instead of refined white flour, honey instead of sugar, and amazingly, no oil or butter. It does have a whole egg in it which is a protein boost and is filling. And following the French philosophy, it is in a moderate quantity. However, this is by no means a French recipe.
Tip
1. Grind a large batch of oats in the blender to have quick access to oat flour.
2. Each microwave has different wattage. A 1200 watt microwave may need a minute while an old 800 watt microwave like ours might take a little longer. If it is still wet in the centre, keep adding 10 second intervals, while keeping a close eye on it that it doesn’t spill over.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oats or oat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon honey (or 1 teaspoon sugar)
- pinch of cinnamon or cardamom
- 2 Tablespoons mashed banana (about a 1/2 of a banana)
- 2 Tablespoons yoghurt or mala
- 1 egg
- squeeze of lemon juice or vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons milk (or water)
- 2 squares of chocolate chopped (optional)
Directions
Method 1: In a blender, throw in 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 Tablespoon honey, pinch of cinnamon, 1/2 banana, 2 Tablespoons yoghurt, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vanilla extract, 2 Tablespoons milk (or water). Blitz until smooth. Transfer into a large mug.Method 2: In a large mug mix with a fork until combined: 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 Tablespoon honey, pinch of cinnamon, 2 Tablespoons mashed banana, 2 Tablespoons yoghurt, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vanilla extract, 2 Tablespoons milk (or water).
Roughly chop the chocolate and add to the mug and mix.
Microwave for 1 minute. If it is still wet in the centre, keep adding 10 second intervals keeping a close eye on it so that it doesn’t spill over. It is ready when a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Slice the remaining banana and eat with the muffin.